About Those Supposed Magical Internet Organizing Hacks

You’ve read articles about them. Hundreds probably over the years.

5 Second Rule

20/20 Rule ($20/20 min)

One In, One out Rule

You maybe even tried using these decluttering rules that have headlines like “I Tried the ______ Rule to Declutter my Home and it Changed My Life!” Only to give it a try and have it *maybe* result in 2 items fewer than you had before. Most definitely not life changing!

Now don’t get me wrong, those are actually great rules. But they are NOT going to solve your clutter problems if you have a large amount of chaos going on in your home.

Those rules are really preventative measures to keep the clutter to a minimum.

If you continuously buy purses or make-up you do not need, the One In, One Out rule is not going to be enough to stem the flow of crap in your drawers.

If you often find yourself amidst the discount racks in search of a “great deal on something cute” instead of a specific item you need (like black suede loafers), then you likely will not be in a minimizing mindset when you put that new item in your closet.

The 5 Second Rule won’t make much a dent, if every flat surface in your home is covered with stuff.

And if you constantly lose items at home, asking yourself the 20/20 rule will only have you rebuying something (again) you KNOW you have (somewhere) before you stumble on the secret stash 2 yrs from now and say, “Oh, so THAT’s where I put it!”

If any of these sound like you, know that these rules are something to work into your daily life AFTER a major overhaul of your space has been accomplished.

Once your home has a dedicated space for everything and each item’s new home is in a place that makes sense (Gift cards can’t get used if they are in your underwear drawer, people!), then these rules can serve you well to prevent backsliding.

So before you click on another article or Instagram promise of a magic solution to managing all the crap in your house, let me tell you…..There is no magic solution (or single question---sorry Marie Kondo) to getting your home tidy and to keep it that way.

Organizing does take a lot of work and focus----but if you have a Professional Organizer there to work through it with you, you WILL learn to be neater as well as understand the habits you had that were causing the clutter in the first place, and THEN you can try out some of the internet’s favorite tricks that promise the Pottery Barn-like house.

So don’t wait for a New Year’s resolution! Get your home and life in order today (so you can start living your life!). In-person and Virtual Services are available so I can help anyone in any state.

Fill out the Contact Form on my website and let’s get started!